


you are not like the regulars.

by j_whirl44



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Kissing, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Other, alcohol mention, and, like...a teen plus rating, nothing saucy but there do be:
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27731917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_whirl44/pseuds/j_whirl44
Summary: a late night brings revelations
Relationships: Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom/Zolf Smith
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	you are not like the regulars.

Zolf is just so tired as he swings along to music that’s only playing in his head. He takes in the open air of the ship as he drinks his grogg. It’s not much, but it’s warm as it slides down his throat to combat the bitter cold. Plus, he’s a little tired of thinking these days and he’s looking for a way to take the edge off.

It’s been, to put it lightly, a long trip, with so much disappointment and loss, and there’s nothing more he wants than to just...take a night and rest. So that’s what he’s doing.

He closes his eyes and leans his head back as he takes in a deep breath and holds it for a few seconds before letting it out. His chest falls and relaxes as he does so.

He feels a presence slowly approach him and he opens one eye to see Cel standing there. They’re rubbing a hand up and down their arm and biting their lip. They seem like they want to say something but don’t.

He repositions himself, “Hey, Cel,” he says softly. He takes another long drink. They stay silent.

“Oh, I, uh, I don’t mean to-to disturb you, Mister Smith, I was just uh, I should go. Again I’m sorry…” they say quickly.

Zolf gives them a look and shakes his head, “No, no Cel not at all. It’s- It’s fine, please join me, uh here,” he says. He scoots over a bit on the bench he’s on to make room. They hesitate another moment before they finally nod and sit next to him.

Instantly, he feels the warmth from their body and it takes all the power in him to not lean into it. Instead he swallows hard and looks straight ahead, careful to not move an inch.

This isn’t the first time he’s had to try and  _ not _ do that. Truth is it’s been that way since he’s met Cel. There was just something about them that made him want to stay close. He’s not sure what that exactly means and if he’s even more honest with himself he’s been trying to avoid thinking about it as much as possible, but as stated he’s cold and he’s so very tired and his self control right now isn’t as high as it should be.

Still, he resists, even if from the outside it makes him look standoffish. He’s rigid and tense and he sees Cel react to that in the same way. So here the two of them sit, clenched up and too far apart. He takes another big sip.

“I, uh,” Cel begins. They reveal a bottle of something from their coat pocket and hold it, “I found this again while searching through my things. Seeing what all I had left and I- well we don’t have to I just…” they trail off.

Zolf hesitates a moment before he brings a hand and places it on their forearm. Cel takes in a breath as he squeezes gently. They reveal the label. He can’t read it, it looks like something written in Elvish.

That’s when it hits him. He wants to say something but he feels his throat dry up so he just makes them look at him and give the most genuine look he can muster.

They give him the smallest smile back as they slowly take the cork from the bottle. It trembles in their hand a moment before they bring it up to their lips and take a long sip. He watches in a sort of trance and he again fights the urge to lean into them. He clenches his jaw as he removes the hand that was on their forearm and scoots back ever so slightly.

Cel finally takes a breath and there’s a small, sad smile on their face that makes Zolf nearly break.

He hasn’t known Cel long, but gods, if he can’t deny that there’s something about them that makes him want to protect them with all he has. It’s a fierce sense of  _ something _ in the deep pit of his stomach that makes him want to make sure they’re happy and safe and it’s something he hasn’t felt since…

Well, since a long time ago.

Cel reaches out, hands Zolf the bottle. He takes it with reverence and he nods a small thank you. They don’t really respond, they close in on themself and look down at their hands they’ve pulled into their lap.

He pauses as he brings the bottle to his lips. He notes the sweet smell as he tips it and takes a sip.

It goes down smooth and it’s probably one of the most delicious drinks he’s ever had. It’s a bit dry, but the sweet taste of honey lingers in the aftermath and it only gets stronger with every sip he takes.

They keep passing the bottle back and forth, almost careful not to touch each time. He hates it, it doesn’t feel right, but he soon forgets the more he drinks. Soon, it’s empty and he sheepishly hands the bottle back to Cel. They grip it hard and look like they’re debating whether to smash it on the floor or put it back in their pocket. They chose the latter, placing it gently back into their jacket. It’s quiet between the two now.   
  
Zolf clears his throat, “That was, uh, some good stuff. Thank...thank you for sharing that with me,” he says. He knows that somehow, someway, that was an important piece to Cel’s life, and for whatever reason they decided to share it with him. He doesn’t want to take it lightly.

They smile and give a stiff nod, “Oh it was...it was nothing just thought- thought you might like it. It’s- it’s good, yeah…” they say.

He stares at the side of their face for a moment. His heads a little fuzzy but he tries to concentrate, “are you alright, Cel,” he says.

They give a nervous chuckle and avoid looking at him completely, “Oh. Oh no I’m fine, Mister Smith, just- just peachy and- and- and I just wanted to come and say that I-” they cut themself off and still don’t look at him. They bite their lip and swallow hard and he blinks a few times to keep focus. He doesn’t know what they were about to say, but he wishes he did.

He situates himself so he’s facing them a little more head on. He takes a hand and places it on their thigh.

Before he can say anything, there’s a shock of electricity that hits his fingertips hard and he hears Cel scream out in surprise at the same time. He pulls away and he’s about to ask what just happened when Cel shoots up and out of their seat, eyes wide. His fingers still tingle.

They look down at their leg then back up at him. “Mister Smith, uh, could you come with me,” they say. They don’t wait for his answer before they already head off to their cabin. He shakes his head and gets up quickly, following suit.

They’re alone now in the tiny space and before he can even close the door behind him he sees Cel take their pants off. He grunts, “Woah Cel what are you doing-” he begins to say but stops when he sees the shocked look on their face. He furrowed his eyebrows, “what is it?”

Cel sits on their bed and motions Zolf to follow. He slowly approaches and joins them. He looks at their exposed skin. His breath hitches.

He stares down at the new mark that’s there. His eyes go a little wide.

It's a boat, but not just any boat. It's the boat he took onto the river by his house when he was young. The same weathered white sails with a blue strip in them. The small deck has the same shade of brown he remembers. And there, clear as anything in soft white lettering, the name of it. 'Rock Steady' he painted that on himself late one night. He hasn't thought of that boat in years and yet here it is, resting on Cel's thigh, wrapped in red string.

"Zolf," they whisper, so softly it almost gets carried away in the stillness of the room. He looks up and inspects their face. It's mostly confused with some part curious, and a little bit...almost what looks to be relieved, which he wasn't expecting.

"Cel I- this is..." he begins. If he's honest, right now all he can think about is letting go of all the pent up emotion he's harbored for far too long. He wants to lean into them. He wants to touch them. He wants to- "Cel," he states again, "Can I...can I kiss you?"

They don't hesitate at the question. In a second their lips are on his and he scrambles to steady himself while also trying not to break them apart.

They're both greedy at first. All he wants is to feel their lips and he leans in as much as he can. He places one hand on their hip, low near their underwear line and the other cups the back of their neck. He breathes through his nose as best he can and just drinks in the sensations. They clash teeth and after a moment his tongue swipes at their bottom lip which makes them jump back but only slightly.

They're both panting but are still close enough that their breath is mixing with one another's. He catches himself smiling and when he looks at Cel, which they are too.

They take a hand and place it on his cheek. The other rests on their own leg. "Zolf I don't...I didn't know- well- maybe-maybe I thought about it at the beginning. When we first met I thought  _ maybe _ but then everything got so complicated with Shoin and the brorb and the kobolds and the seed and the-"

They're cut off when Zolf kisses them again quickly. He moves to other parts of their face: namely both cheeks and the forehead before he moves along their jawline. They let out the smallest of noise that makes his whole body heat up.

They take the hand that was in their lap and grip one of his shoulders to pull him back a little. He tries to keep in his groan of protest but it doesn't work very well. They laugh.

"Maybe we should just take a moment and- and... talk about this," Cel says.

Zolf runs a finger along their thigh, circling around the mark. They shudder and let out a nervous laugh. He looks up and smiles at them. They smile back.

Everything feels so immediately different between them yet still the same. His feelings for them aren't suddenly more or less, but they now have that _ context _ he’d been searching for. It's a relief and he just feels himself relax fully for the first time in a long time. He lets out a long sigh and nods, "I guess... this is a thing that is happening then?" he says. It's in no way elegant and the face Cel pulls lets him know that he has in fact put a little bit of his foot in his mouth.

They shift away from him a bit, "I mean we-we don't have to do anything, Zolf, this is- despite the way it looks there's nothing really, uh, keeping us bonded to each other. People ignore these silly marks all the time it's nothing that needs to really happen. They really don't mean anything more than-"

"No! No Cel that came out wrong I didn't mean it like I wasn't interested..." he interrupts.

"Oh," they say quietly.

"Because- because I am interested, you know?" he continues.

"Oh..." they say, somehow even quieter. He chuckles.   


After a moment, he silently begins to move towards them again. They catch on quickly and meet him in the middle. It's a softer kiss this time. One that's slow and one where they both just take a moment to reverently explore each other. Zolf's head is swimming. He swears he's never felt a kiss like this before and he guesses he hasn't really, because now he's kissing his  _ apparent  _ soulmate, it's just something else entirely.

Again he breaks off and begins to kiss in any place on their face he can reach. Cel squeaks and giggles which in turn makes him laugh as well. The air's light and fun and for a brief moment the two are just actually enjoying themselves. It’s a stark contrast to how either of them have been carrying themselves through life lately. He welcomes it.

Then, Cel places a hand ever so gently just under his collar bone and he  _ feels _ it. A spark that just rips through his chest in a flash of white hot pain. He groans and let's out a yelp. Cel also slides back in surprise as they grip the wrist of the offending hand.

He doesn't think before he takes off his shirt in one quick motion. He watches the mark manifest. The searing ache is already gone but he's still tense and breathing heavy. He looks over to Cel who's focused on his chest. He follows their gaze, and there it is.

A test tube of some kind. The liquid inside is a deep purple and It's corked. There's some sort of script he doesn't recognize in the background. Like the ship on their thigh, there’s red string wrapped around it.

Cel gasps and reaches out their hand but hesitates. They bite their lip and it makes Zolf's heart tug.

"It's okay," he whispers. Cel meets his eyes briefly before nodding and reaching out again.

Their fingers are pleasantly cold as they trace the workings of the mark. They go over the words once, then twice, then three times. There's tears forming in their eyes and he instinctively reaches up to stop them. They smile.

"It's...this is a little potion my mother would give me on nights I'd have trouble sleeping. Those words... it's what she'd say to me as she rocked me back to bed. It, uh," they hesitate. There's the smallest hint of their voice cracking. He moves his free hand to take one of theirs and squeezes. "It roughly means, rest your moving mind, my love," they finish. Now there’s tears falling down their face and he pulls them into his chest in as much of a hug he can muster in their current position.

They stay like that for a while as he rubs a hand up and down their back. It’s silent, save for a few of Cel's sniffles.

Finally they pull back. Their face is red and blotchy but they're smiling and their eyes are bright. He can’t help but smile back. He lays them both down on the bed and Cel ends up half on top of him but he doesn’t mind. They lay their head down onto his chest, moving a little to place soft, gentle kisses on the mark. He closes his eyes and revels in it just a little. He snakes a hand into their hair and scratches at their scalp. Cel gasps at that and looks at him with a small, sleepy smile. They lean up and kiss him briefly one more time before settling back down. They wrap their arms around his waist and squeeze. He puts his chin on top of their head.

This all just feels right to him and he hopes they feel the same. There’s a warmth in his belly that’s awakened in the past thirty odd minutes and if he’s honest with himself he doesn’t want it to ever leave.

There’s still more to talk about, between the two of them, and in time they will. For now, however he’ll hold them here as he feels them drift off to sleep and he’ll do the same.

In the morning they wake up and just stare at each other as they still try to process what this means. Cel lazily traces lines up and down his chest and he continues to play with their hair. When they finally untangle themselves from one another his eyes immediately go to the boat on their thigh and he smiles.

He kisses them and they laugh, “You really are a sap, Mister Smith,” they tease.

He doesn’t dispute it, he just kisses them again quickly before getting out of bed and ready for the day.

**Author's Note:**

> :cries: i got really soft over soulmate tattoos and so i had to......push it off on these two, obviously.
> 
> thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed :D
> 
> (lemme know if there is anything i missed that needs/should be tagged)
> 
> (also title from mirrorball by Taylor Swift which is on my ZolfCel playlist that i *shocker* have made and [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4UFw5sZkrFxs7UpqK81Mfr?si=w1gxjDwWSMSI4P99W7CS1g) is where you can listen :D)


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